Everyone wins
by Timeandvlove
Summary: A series of one shots from the perspective of people in mother of learning, explaining how they all won.
1. I win (Grey Hunter, IV)

She was a nameless Grey Hunter, feared by archmages of the highest caliber.

...And she had won.

It had been a long and dangerous path. For years a cruel witch, Silverlake, had been pursuing her and trying to take her eggs. She had laid traps, sent elementals at her, even attacked once with a simulacrum- though that had gone poorly when she had disrupted the control matrix, and the simulacrum had returned to sender.

It had gotten even worse this month. Some strange wizard, Zorian, had trapped her in a place of twisted time and space, where where could twist and turn but never flee. She had waited though ready.

It was a surprise seeing Silverlake, and another one of her nearby. One of the Silverlakes was different. Faster, with powerful spirit constructs, with an intoxicating smell of magic that she had never smelt before. She had fought hard, but almost lost until another Silverlake intervened. She had drained Silverlake dry.

The magic was intoxicating. She felt stronger, smarter, more powerful. Memories were starting to come back as well. Her facing off endlessly against Zorian, him killing her and killing her eggs and capturing her again and again.

She looked at her hatchlings. A dozen tiny spiders, crawling around her, rubbing their little grey faces on her legs. Some had already fed. There had been a creature here, a mouse as large as a house. She had slew it with a single ripping bite, and now she and her children could feed, deep in he dungeons. She leaned down and pressed her forehead to each, giving them a kiss, and held up a marble, still flooded with the spellwork and mana of Zorian.

Zorian had sorely underestimated her intelligence. Whilst trapped in there she had used her venom, and subtly disrupted the pocket dimension. Not enough to break it, but enough to find a small part of the control mechanism. With her new primordial granted senses she could tell exactly where he was.

She would have many children, each blessed by primordial magic. Her spawn would spread across the world, stronger and faster and smarter than any other, blessed with shapeshifting, regeneration, and powerful magic. Soon, Zorian would become the hunted, and in time her spawn would be spread across the world.

She had won...

She was The Grey Hunter, chosen of Panaxeth, due to rule this world...

And she had won. She was a mother.

She looked down. Vengeance could wait. For now, she had a brood to raise.


	2. I win (Kirielle, V)

She was Kirielle, sister of the archmages Zorian and Damien, daughter of a minor merchant, and artist supreme...

And she had won.

Everyone thought she wouldn't amount to anything. Her mother wanted to marry her off. Damien went off to another continent. Fortov was an ass. Her only hope had been Zorian. He was a bit antisocial, but he was nice to her. He let her borrow his books and pencils so she could draw art. She had loved that. He was so generous. She loved drawing and making pretty things, and he supported her.

Just before he was about to go back to Cyoria she had planned to talk to him. She'd go say hello, hug him, bright and early and ask him to take her with him to Cyoria. She could escape her mother. Things hadn't gone to plan.

He had jumped her while asleep, shouting in her ear! How rude! She had got him out and got dressed and asked to see some magic...

It had been so beautiful. He had showed her the most wonderful of illusions, pretty art, and she had loved it.

It had come to the time to ask and she'd chickened out. She wanted to go so much, but she didn't want to bother him. And then he'd asked her! She was so happy. She loved her brother. He was the best brother ever. She had prepared all her things, returned his books and went with him on the train. She had begged and begged him to show her more magic, but he kept looking distant, as though frowning at someone far away, and shook his head. Still, he had the most interesting stories to tell her. Wild adventures. He did drawing contests with her, and she always drew best but her brother was great at drawing.

She was a little annoyed to discover he lied about it being mandatory to fight a giant spider to become a mage, but she quickly forgave him. He was her best brother.

After they got to Cyoria she met her new best friend. A lovely lady called Nochka. Zorian had saved her bike from the water and they'd talked and chatted and been friendly. She was amazing. Something strange had happened though. She was just telling a story to the girl's mother when the girl suddenly produced claws and grabbed her arm. It was such a surprise she shut right up.

She later found out she was a cat shifter. That made her an even better friend! After she went to stay with Imaya. She had lovely stories and made the best cookies and was great as well. She loved Cyoria. Soon after she made another friend, Kana, a morlock lady. Zorian gave them all adorable dolls that would speak to them and play with them and they had the best of fun together. She had painted her doll and called her Kosjenka. She was the best and the most adorable and the cutest.

Sometimes Kosjenka would move on it's own even. When someone came into the room it would stand in front of her. It was so adorable!

She got a forth friend later in the month. An adorable spider friend! Zorian had been giving her lessons in magic, and she was starting to get a sense of her magic, and she shared her magic with the spider. They had a magic based off webs, but she felt that maybe she could do the same with paper. Fold it in the right way and you could cast spells. That would be awesome. Art magic.

Zorian got more and more moody as the month went on. She asked him why of course, but he always shook his head and didn't say. She was worried. Near the end she and Nochka had been sent to another continent. Lots and lots of guards were in front of them and it was really scary.

Then they'd been attacked! She could hear the booms of magic, as those outside fought. She had thought she would die as well. A mage in a red robe had entered her room and knocked her out with a pulse of magic. She had thought it was the end then.

Then Kosjenka had lept up and ripped his face off. Her doll! It fought to defend her, defeating monsters and mages and gun men, casting shields of energy to block bullets and spells, and even once grabbing her and teleporting her away. It had sacrificed itself for her! She had cried so much. A dozen gunmen, led by a mage, had been smashing their way into her room when it had lept out and exploded, ripping them apart. She was so sad.

But she was ok. Zach had come to meet her. He was a super powerful mage and sometimes a bit of an ass but good natured. He had explained that Zorian could repair Kosjenka good as new, and that he wanted her help with something. Zorian had played a little prank on him, and he wanted to pay him back.

She had driven a hard bargain. In the end he had promised to teach her for a month if she did this and show her all his best spells. He really wanted to get this prank done.

Whatever happened, she had won. She was free from her mother, and she would become the best mage ever. She would unite spider and human magic and draw everything and become even better than Zorian at magic.

So there she was, next to Zorian, sleeping in his bed. She crept in, and got ready to leap.

* * *

Zorian's eyes abruptly shot open as a sharp pain erupted from his stomach. His whole body convulsed, buckling against the object that fell on him, and suddenly he was wide awake, not a trace of drowsiness in his mind.

"Good morning, brother!" an annoyingly cheerful voice sounded right on top of him. "Morning, morning, _MORNING_!"

Not again... he thought he'd won.


End file.
